Shape

[Sting of the North]

The prime question is was Reed dropped or injured last night. Odoi was selected to replace him in front of the back four and in all honesty I didn't think that was a bad call.
The hard fact is that we need centre backs of quality and JK's admission that four have slipped through his fingers is worrying, I bet there is not now a queue of four more centre backs at the Cottage door waiting to join us.

I would assume Reed would not be dropped from the squad entirely if he wasn't ill/injured. Also, we played with 5 at the back, Odoi didn't play as DM.

[We Are Premier League]

Completely agree - think Reed, Lemina and Anguissa for next game please

[Hatch007]

[/quote]it is based on last nights performance. Sounds like he knows he's getting the sack to me, clearly lost the dressing room
[/quote]

I wouldn't say it's clear he's lost the dressing room, not at all clear. Only one match ago we continued fighting from 1-4 down and didn't give up last night. We just defended like U12s.

Not with the benefit of hindsight but before KO I thought it was startling obvious we'd struggle in midfield without a DM and for that I can point the finger at Parker but I disagree that he's lost the dressing room.

Let's see how much fight and spirit the team show against Wolves. That will surely be indicative of whether or not the players have faith in Parker.

[fulhamben]

it is based on last nights performance. Sounds like he knows he's getting the sack to me, clearly lost the dressing room
[/quote]

I wouldn't say it's clear he's lost the dressing room, not at all clear. Only one match ago we continued fighting from 1-4 down and didn't give up last night. We just defended like U12s.

Not with the benefit of hindsight but before KO I thought it was startling obvious we'd struggle in midfield without a DM and for that I can point the finger at Parker but I disagree that he's lost the dressing room.

Let's see how much fight and spirit the team show against Wolves. That will surely be indicative of whether or not the players have faith in Parker.
[/quote]we will get spanked by wolves absolutely spanked. We will also lose to championship Brentford too

[Hatch007]

I can only, respectfully hope you're wrong, Ben, but if we defend like we did last night we certainly face an uphill battle

[bobbo]

not just the defence pretty much the whole team.
it was written all over the villa players faces they couldnt believe their luck . it must have felt like they were playing a league 2 side .

i dont know the answer . weve lost heavier at other times but ive never felt so distraught or embarrassed as that performance last night.
player standing off the opposition . waiting for them to make a mistake instead of making them make a mistake. 

[Matt10]

Put the same lineup, but a different formation and we'd put up a better fight. The 3-4-3 was a sorry reason to try against Villa. Grealish found himself in 1v1 situations constantly because the RWB is pushed up high and our RCB is exposed. It's really that simple. Want to beat the 3-4-3? That's how you do it. We exposed ourselves to 1v1 matchups for absolutely not reason and nothing to gain. It was only when Villa merciful passed the ball backwards that we were able to regain any kind of shape in defending in a 4-3-3, but that was so rare. 

[YoungsBitter]

Put the same lineup, but a different formation and we'd put up a better fight. The 3-4-3 was a sorry reason to try against Villa. Grealish found himself in 1v1 situations constantly because the RWB is pushed up high and our RCB is exposed. It's really that simple. Want to beat the 3-4-3? That's how you do it. We exposed ourselves to 1v1 matchups for absolutely not reason and nothing to gain. It was only when Villa merciful passed the ball backwards that we were able to regain any kind of shape in defending in a 4-3-3, but that was so rare. 

I thought it looked like 5-2-2-1 - with Ream, Odoi and hector the back 3 Bryan and Tete as wingbacks; TC and Zambo in front, Cav and BDR next 2 and then Mitro. I understand Reed was injured but this (or if I am wrong and everyone seems dead set on 343) just gets overrun ion midfield creating the overloads on the wings. When Tete went off Odoi got exposed and I wondered why SP didnt push Kamara to wing, BDR to mid and go back to 4-3-3 with Odoi on Right back. It didnt so we had Odoi pulled there anyway and Kamara as wing back which was farcical.
I have been very supportive of Scott but last night was a mess tactically both in the fact we set up wrong and that he didnt change it when it was obvious we were getting killed. Plus the whole aproach of just lobbing crosses at Mitro was telegraphed from our first attack and Smith's team were ready. We looked better ironically with MLM on and Hector off but still for all that possession with Cav and BDR never close to Mitro it was just us lobbing crosses to Mitro surrounded by 3 defenders and not once was the cross back from the by-line, alwasy over his shoulder, the easiest to defend against and as much as I am not a massive fan of Mings he knows how to fight and head out.
Thought Cav was a waste of space yesterday and BDR not much better. TC and Zambo does not work either as we have seen before so not sure what Lemina has done to piss Parker off but with Reed out why not play him?

[Carborundum]

When teams leak goals, the standard solution is a narrow bank of four, a bank of five and a lone striker.    Tighten up for a game or two and hope to nick a goal.  Anyone not running hard or keeping shape hooked.  Simple passing patterns.  Managers up and down the country know this.  Roy H the master - he once brought a West Brom team to the Cottage that was so drilled it was like watching table football  - 1-1 draw that finished.  Slavisa did it on arrival!  It's surely what we need to do, but pride goes before a fall.

It's incomprehensible to outsiders that we are playing three defenders from our last relegation season.